Drafting instrument.



w 4 1 4 r 4 A -PATENTED JAN. 22,1907.

c. A. GEE; DRAPTING INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED A PR.17 .1906.

:r ngpof. WASHINGYGN n c UNITED srATEs PATENT orrro.

CHARLES A. GEE, or cAsA BLANoA, CALIFORNIA. AssIeNoR or ONE- 'FOURTH' TO B, BE-INSMEAD, ONE-FOURTH TO H. P. B. VAUGHAN,

AND ONE-FOURTH TO F. e. HALL, or RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

DRAFTING INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 1907.

Application filed April 1'7, 1906. Serial No. 312,142.

To all whom it may concern:-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. GEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Casa Blanca, in the county of Riverside and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Drafting Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a board or table with appliances primarily'designed for drafting purposes, but which board and appliances, as will be seen hereinafter, are capable of adaptation for other uses, such as the holding of copy for typists, typesetters, &c.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and the combination of parts, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan View of my invention. Fig. 12 is a cross-section of same broken in the middle. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the invention. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified form of the invention. Fig. 5 is a cross-section of a part of same, showinga springpressed bar for holding down the paper.

Where the instrument is to be used for drafting purposes, I employ a suitable board or table A, which is preferably adjustably mounted in any approved fashion on the stand 2.

Upon the top of the table and at each side thereof are two parallel guide-strips 3, hav ing undercut parallel guide-channels 4 on their adjacent edges. A cross piece or plate 5 extends across the table between the strips 3 and carries at each end. a pair of rollers 6, which are mounted. on axes at right angles to the plane of the board and have reduced flanges which fit in the corresponding channels 4.

The tread portions of the rollers bear against the strips, and one pair of rollers is mounted 011 a movable carriage, such as the pivoted spring-pressed bar 7, whereby it is possible to quickly disengage those rollers from its guide-strip, and so remove the crosspiece 5 without having to move the latter to the end of the side strips 3. The lever 7 is shown as pivoted at 8 and has a projecting handle portion 9, by which it can be easily engaged and rocked. The handle end of the lever is guided in a strap 10. The adjustable tension-spring device 11 operates to press the roller normally against the guidestrips 6 and automatically hold and lock the cross-piece in operative position on the table.

- paper.

The bar is of suflicient width to prevent binding and twist of the cross-bar and to insure proper uniformity and simultaneity of movement of the two ends of the cross. The cross-bar is centrally slotted, as shown at 12, with the edges of the slot beveled and extending parallel with the upper and lower outside beveled edges of the cross-bar. The edges of the crossbar at-the top and bottom and along the slot are graduated to feet and inches and fractions thereof in any suitable manner. Likewise the adjacent edges of the side strips 3 are correspondingly graduated from one end to the other, the graduations of both of said strips being alike.

With the apparatus thus described having proper graduations, as indicated, it is a very simple matter to lay out to the scale straightline drawings of any description. It is particularly valuable for carpenters, architects, and the like. All horizontal lines may be drawn by any one of the four straight edges of the cross-bar. All vertical lines may be drawn and drawn exactly at the point desired by moving the cross-bar to bring one of its straight edges at the point where the vertical line is to begin, placing the pencil-point on the paper at the proper place and against the cross-bar and then moving the cross-bar up or down, maintaining all the while the pencil-point in contact with the cross-bar. Angles for rafters and the like may be laid off by suitable reference to the adjacent graduations on a side strip 3 and the crossbar. The graduations on the side strip 3 are, furthermore, advantageous in that they indicate to the operator whether true perpendicularity of the cross-bar is being maintained with respect to the side strips 3. Since the cross-bar is readily removable, it allows the paper to be easily put on or taken off of the board. The same principle of a board or like flat supporting-surface, combined with channeled side strips and a movable slidable slotted cross-piece, is applicable for use as a copy-holder for typists, printers, and others, as shown in Fig. 4. In this case the support A is provided with a clip a at one end for holding the papers and a slidable locking-bar or plate I) for the other end of the This locking-bar b has its ends fitted to slide in the channels in the strips 3" and carries the spring-pressed member I), which is adapted to bear on the paper. A knob 71 connects with the presser member I) to enable the latter to be lifted to release the paper ICO or enable the bar I) to be moved in the guides,

4. The slot 12 in the plate 5 is of 'suflicient length and width as to allow only a singleline of ordinary'type or printed matter above the top thereof, and having undercut channels in their inwardly-presented edges, 21 plate extending across the board between said guides, rollers on the ,ends. of the plate engaging the channels of the strips, and a spring-pressed member carrying the rollers at one end of the plate whereby the rollers. at that end disengageably connect with their guide-strip.

2. The combination of a board or like support having opposed parallel guides, said guides having channels on their adjacent edges, a cross-bar extending between the guides and movable across the board, said crossbar having flanged rollers mounted on axes perpendicular to the plane of the board, the flanges of said rollers engaging the channels in said guides, a fulcrumed springpressed carriage member supporting the rollers at one end of said bar by which said rollers may be disengaged from the guides to allow the crossbar to be removed.

3. The combination of a flat base or board, a standard, channeled guides upon the sides of the base, a plate extending across between the guides having rollers journaled' upon one end to fit the grooves of one of'the guides, and a lever fulcrumed to the other end of-the plate having rollers journaled to. itself engaging the channel of the other guide, said lever being turnable to engage or disengage the roller-flanges with the guide.

4. The combination of a flat base or board, a standard upon which it is adjustably mounted, means fixed to the upper end of the base to hold the upper edges of papers; a plate extending transversely between the sides of the base, channeled guides fixed to said sides, rollers journaled upon one end of the plate having flanges engaging the channels of the guide upon that side, a lever fulcrumed upon the opposite end of the plate having a guide and a handle by which the lever may be moved about its pivot, rollers journaled in said lever having flanges engaging the guide upon that side, and a spring by which the rollers are normally held in engagement with the guide.

5. The combination of a base having channeled guides fixed upon opposite sides, means fixed to the upper end of the base to hold the upper ends of papers, a plate extending from side to side between the guides and having an open centrally-disposed slot, flanged rollers journaled at opposite ends of the plate adapted to engage the grooves or channels of the guides, a fulcrumed springpressed movable lever from which one set of said rollers is carried and by which they may be disengaged to allow the plate to be re moved, and a second bar or plate extending across the lower end of the base and adapted to travel in the channeled guides, said bar adapted to press upon the paper beneath it and hold it in position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. GEE. Witnesses:

HENRY P. B. VAUGHAN, REGINALD .BRINSMEAD. 

